Northampton flanker Calum Clark looks set to be a surprise inclusion in
England’s elite player squad for the Six Nations championship as part of an
expected new-look back row panel.

England interim head coach Stuart Lancaster is understood to be impressed by the 22 year-old’s form this season and sees him as a potential replacement for James Haskell, who has ruled himself out of selection by his move to Japanese side Ricoh Black Rams and the Highlanders in the Super 15.

Lancaster is set to announce his 32-man elite player squad on Wednesday and Clark is under serious consideration for one of the six back-row places up for grabs, following the international retirement of former captain Lewis Moody.

Tom Wood, one of the leading candidates for the captaincy, Tom Croft, Chris Robshaw and the Scarlets No 8 Ben Morgan, are certain of their places, with Clark thought to be facing competition from club team-mate Phil Dowson and Leicester No 8 Thomas Waldrom for the two remaining places.

Lancaster knows Clark, a former England Under-20 captain, from his time as head coach of Leeds, where he came through the club’s academy system before joining Northampton in 2010.

Clark, who is fit again having had six weeks on the sidelines following an operation for a fractured thumb, was his club’s young player of the year last season and was due to make his debut for England Saxons last summer only to miss the Churchill Cup because of injury.